SACRAMENTAL LIVING

“Teaching “about” the Faith is not the same as “discipling,” a distinction the Lord Himself makes in His Great Commission: “Going, therefore, disciple all the nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, [then] teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you” (Mt 28:19,20). Teaching has a place, but discipling is essential. One is “begotten...through the Gospel” (1 Cor 4:15). Teaching must occur, followed by discipling

“Who among us has not faltered and taken a wrong step? How often do we let pain or troubles steal our peace in Christ?...a multitude of forces assault us, distract us, and rudely separate us from the Lord’s path. The question is how, then, are we to stand fast in the grace of God?” First and foremost, we stand by faith (1 Thes 3:6-7)… Second, we reframe our understanding of the tribulations that come to every Christian…“we are appointed to” trials (1 Thes 3:3)…by our Lord Jes

“For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming? (1 Thessalonians 2:19). In the above quote, St Paul points us in an interesting direction as the source of our hope and joy. He points us not to Christ who is coming again to the world at the end of time. Rather, He is looking at his fellow Christians in the Thessalonian parish: YOU are our hope and joy and crown of our rejoicing. We may readily bel

“Let us enlarge the hope within us by our feeble efforts to keep the commandment to love. Like infants, we mimic our loving Father and seek to love as He has loved us (Jn 13:34). To love others is an act of faith, especially if we are to love them as God loves – sacrificially… If we begin to love sacrificially, in the Lord’s way, then we may see genuine growth in faith.” (Dynamis 11/22/2021) “You must love and suffer–suffer for the one you love. Love makes effort for the love

“What does it mean to wait? Is it just a matter of killing time until our hope is realized? Like a child who is bored on a rainy day, should we find ways to occupy our time until the Lord shows up? Waiting does not mean idleness or passivity. The stem of the Greek word means “to abide,” that is, to ‘stay put. ” But the translation “wait” misses the intensity by which one is to maintain our hope. The meaning is that we should wait with patience and expectation…In 1 Corinthians

“ ‘Now at one point the Pharisees asked Jesus when the kingdom of God was coming, so He answered, The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed, nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is in your midst” (Luke 17:20-21). This is a far better translation than “in you [within you].” Jesus would never tell the hostile Pharisees that the kingdom was inside them. The reference is to Jesus present in their midst. He brings the k

“Wisdom is discernment to understand things in connection to God and eternal meaning and purpose…“Discernment is key to almost everything in the spiritual life. And the beginning of discernment is…to be humble enough…to realize that we are really bad at it.” (Lea Povozhaev, Fr. Michael Gillis, Sacramental Living Ministries) “…humility expands man’s spiritual powers and introduces him to the realm of freedom. We come to perceive our “gentle and humble in heart” Jesus in humili

“…the people of God did not fight with the hand or weapons so much as with the voice and tongue, that is, they poured forth prayer to God, and thus overcame their adversaries. Therefore, you, too, if you want to be victorious, listen to the apostle [Paul] say, “Be assiduous in prayer, being wakeful.” This is the most glorious fight of the Christian, not to presume upon his own strength but always to implore the assistance of God.” (St. Caesarius of Arles) “ ‘But someone will

“Man-centered ritualism is deadly….Ascetic practices—prayer, fasting, almsgiving—are taught by God (Matthew 6), but enemies lie along that path as well. Submitting to created realities, heeding human traditions, the deception of feeding the flesh when you think you are denying it, are false asceticism and condemned as pride.” (Orthodox Study Bible, Colossians 2:16-23) “A casual reading of this passage [Colossians 2:20-3:3] might lead us to conclude that the apostle[St. Paul]

“Christ’s parable of the Good Samaritan sets a standard for how Christians ought to treat those around them: as neighbors. The neighbor is anyone around us to whom we can be neighborly and extend help when it is in our power to do so. We don’t define ‘neighbor’ as being someone ‘like me’ or someone whom I like, agree with, have common values and interests or live near. The neighbor is every single person we come across to whom we can be neighborly – show compassion and concer